"Current situation declining our reputation in world": Congress' Rashid Alvi on India-Canada row

New Delhi [India], October 17 : Amid the ongoing dispute between India and Canada, Congress leader Rashid Alvi said on Thursday that the government should give a clarification regarding this as the current situation is declining our reputation in the world.
Alvi alsi pointed out that India has always raised its voices against terrorism but if country's name is being highlighted in whatever happened in Canada, they our respect will decrease.
"We have had good relations with Canada. The current issue has been raised by the government of Canada for some days now. Not just Canada, America and Pakistan have also raised such issues. This is unfortunate. We should have good relations with the countries of the world. Whatever has been happening with Canada, the government should give a clarification regarding it. The current situation is declining our reputation in the world. We always raise our voices against terrorism on global platforms. If our name is being highlighted in whatever is happening in Canada, then our respect will decrease in the world," Alvi said.
Earlier, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh had asked the Centre to "act together" with the opposition to defend India's international image amid the allegations by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "safeguarding India's global standing is a shared responsibility."
"Our nation's international image as a country that believes in and adheres to rule of law is at risk, and it is crucial that we act together to defend it. On matters relating to national security and foreign policy, the nation must always be one," said Ramesh in a post on X on Wednesday.
"Allegations made by Canada, now backed by several other countries, are threatening to escalate, tarnishing India's global reputation and damaging Brand India," he added.
The ties between India and Canada soured after Trudeau alleged in the Canadian Parliament last year that he has "credible allegations" of India's hand in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India has denied all the allegations, calling them "absurd" and "motivated" and has accused Canada of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements in their country.
Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed outside a Gurdwara in Surrey in June last year.
Meanwhile, Canadian PM Trudeau on Wednesday admitted that his government had not provided India with hard evidence but just intelligence regarding the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.
In response to Trudeau's statement, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in an official statement, "What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along - Canada has presented us no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats."
"The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone," Jaiswal added.